Speaker - June 2009

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proper perspective BY TIM HYLAND

the crushing realization that they had been left for dead—and nobody was coming to save them.

It was a situation that no human should have survived. And yet Parrado did more than that, hiking out of the mountains to find help and emerging as possibly the singular hero of one of the greatest survival stories ever—a story immortalized not only in Piers Paul Read’s 1973 book, Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors, but also the 1993 film (actor Ethan Hawke portrayed Parrado), and, most recently, Parrado’s own nonfiction account, Miracle in the Andes, published in 2006.

For the past 15 years, Parrado has
shared his story on the speaking circuit
as one of the industry’s most successful,
sought-after and inspiring motivational

speakers. In appearances throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America, Parrado has transfixed even the most jaded audiences with a simple message: Life should be lived, savored, loved and appreciated. We should all have the proper perspective on our short time here on earth. We should be happy, above all, that we are alive. Parrado also will share his message with 2009 NSA Annual Convention attendees as a general session presenter on Monday, July 20.

“True crisis is being left alone at 18,000 feet up in

the Andes with no coats, no water, no food, no search and rescue on the way. That’s a crisis,” Parrado explains. “So, if you lose your job? Well, you’ll find another. At least, you’re alive. I think I’ve had issues like everyone else in the past 36 years. But I haven’t had any problems.”